Ahlu al-Sunna

Ahlu al-Sunna, also known as Ansar al-Sunna, Swahili Sunna, or al-Shabaab, was a militant Islamist organization in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique which was founded in 2015. It was formed by followers of the radical Kenyan cleric Aboud Rogo Mohammed who resettled in Mozambique following Rogo's death in 2015, and it raised funds through illegal smuggling, religious networks, and human trafficking. The group sent fighters to Tanzania, Kenya, and Somalia for military and ideological training; its followers included Mozambicans from Mocimboa da Praia, Palma, and Macomia in addition to Tanzania and Somalia, and they also included speakers of Portuguese, Kimwane, and Swahili. Its numbers were boosted by youths who resented the government due to high unemployment and lack of opportunity, and it turned to militancy in 2017, attempting to establish an Islamic state through attacks on government and civilian targets.